High School

What does the following element description actually mean?

iron-57

A. Iron with an atomic number of 57.
B. Iron with 57 neutrons.
C. Iron with 57 protons.
D. Iron with a mass number of 57.
E. 57 iron atoms.

Answer :

Final answer:

Iron-57 refers to an iron isotope with a mass number of 57, meaning it has 26 protons and 31 neutrons. The correct option is D.

Explanation:

The element description iron-57 represents an isotope of iron. The correct interpretation of 'iron-57' is D. Iron with a mass number of 57. Every iron atom contains 26 protons, which is the atomic number of the element iron.

Therefore, the number 57 refers to the mass number, which is the sum of protons and neutrons in an iron atom's nucleus. If an iron atom is described as iron-57, it means this isotope has 26 protons and 57 - 26 = 31 neutrons.

Other Questions